MDL contractors charge

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tamarind

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I was working in Shamrock quay marina today, lovely job, scrapping off the antifoul on a Squad 46, a member of the marina staff approached me and asked if I had paid the contractors charge. I have been registered with them for along time with insurance docs etc which I think is a good thing, but to charge £6 per day and thats per person not each company, I think is outrageous! The customer who keeps his boat there, pays enough each year in mooring costs. I asked this member of staff, what do I or the boat owner get for the £12 per day? (there was two of us) he didn't have much of a reply apart from.... "It is a private site." Every marina is on a private site and I do not get charged anywhere else. This must be my month of moaning, yours moaning C. Hook
 
Thats a cheap contractor charge, I have had to pay a lot more than that in some places, although many dont charge at all.
Not that I think its right.
MDL used to do an annual rate or do they still (was about £40)?
 
I've been down this road before, as I have a big issue with this there are some marinas who charge more, I've had excuses from them like it's an admin charge we have to check insurance etc. I asked if a contractor works on my boat one day and another the next day I'm still charged, they had no answer for this.

I think it's just another way of grabbing us by the b@lls because they can, I'm glad other industries don't do it, every time blacksmith or a vet visits my horse I would have to pay the owner of the farm, when a mechanic come to service my lorrys I would have to pay the person who owns yard.

I've even looked into legal side through rya and they said if it's in terms then not a lot you can do about it.
 
Swale ("we've a lot more mud than water") Marina wanted to charge the engineer 10%. "For what" I asked - "because he's in competition with us". "But you couldn't repair the engine, so I called him in. And by the way I'm paying him beer, so you could charge him in beer but you'd need a liquor licence".

"Humph" was what he said I think.
 
There are many marinas that operate this policy, I think it tends to happen where the marina itself offers facilities for work to be carried out and charges an outside contractor by the day, almost in lieu of work lost by the marina.

I have also heard of marinas that wont allow outside contractors in at all except for warranty work, if the boat owner wants work done outside then they have take the boat away for the duration of the work.
 
I don't think 6 quid a day is expensive compared to what some Marina/ Firms charge.
There is a small boat yard near Me were the Proprietor 'ups the bill' by 15 quid an hour on on top of the Engineer's bill to the yard.
All invoices have to go through the yard and not to the engineer.
 
tamarind said:
I was working in Shamrock quay marina today, lovely job, scrapping off the antifoul on a Squad 46, a member of the marina staff approached me and asked if I had paid the contractors charge. I have been registered with them for along time with insurance docs etc which I think is a good thing, but to charge £6 per day and thats per person not each company, I think is outrageous! The customer who keeps his boat there, pays enough each year in mooring costs. I asked this member of staff, what do I or the boat owner get for the £12 per day? (there was two of us) he didn't have much of a reply apart from.... "It is a private site." Every marina is on a private site and I do not get charged anywhere else. This must be my month of moaning, yours moaning C. Hook
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Our guys on the east coast have to pay by the hour in some marinas.
The annual Mdl charge is per company up to a certain number of employees not per person.

What does the boat owner get? The beady eye of marina staff making sure you don't make a mess on the boat next to you. As a shamrock boat owner I appreciate this.
 
I personally don't think that there is any thing wrong in this. I know the rules when I put my boat there, so can't really bleat after the event.

I know of resturants that get really pissy if I take my own food and wine! ripp off or what tut!

Eddie

ps The contractors that leave their mess behind, dump stuff in the skips on site without any regard for the marinas legal responsibility for correct waste disposal, park their vans in customers spaces, leave mess all over the floor and wash their brushes out in the shower room hand basins, are rude and abusive to the other boat owners (equally paying thousands of pounds for the ability to leave their boats safely) who happen to complain about the mess and noise....Probably can't see what all the fuss is a about!
 
tamarind said:
I was working in Shamrock quay marina today, lovely job, scrapping off the antifoul on a Squad 46, a member of the marina staff approached me and asked if I had paid the contractors charge. I have been registered with them for along time with insurance docs etc which I think is a good thing, but to charge £6 per day and thats per person not each company, I think is outrageous! The customer who keeps his boat there, pays enough each year in mooring costs. I asked this member of staff, what do I or the boat owner get for the £12 per day? (there was two of us) he didn't have much of a reply apart from.... "It is a private site." Every marina is on a private site and I do not get charged anywhere else. This must be my month of moaning, yours moaning C. Hook
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When the owner signs the contract he/she agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of the marina.If she is not happy with it ...........move the boat elsewhere.Which probably means her contractors will be standing in a muddy boat yard with dodgy single 240v socket and a leaky tap in a far distant corner to aid their work.Email me for details :)
Your choice !
 
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tamarind said:
I was working in Shamrock quay marina today, lovely job, scrapping off the antifoul on a Squad 46, a member of the marina staff approached me and asked if I had paid the contractors charge. I have been registered with them for along time with insurance docs etc which I think is a good thing, but to charge £6 per day and thats per person not each company, I think is outrageous! The customer who keeps his boat there, pays enough each year in mooring costs. I asked this member of staff, what do I or the boat owner get for the £12 per day? (there was two of us) he didn't have much of a reply apart from.... "It is a private site." Every marina is on a private site and I do not get charged anywhere else. This must be my month of moaning, yours moaning C. Hook
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If its only £6, I am surprised they even bother to collect it. Whats that, £1 an hour ? Must be insiginificant in the invoice for cleaning a/f off that boat ;)
 
Premier did this a while ago at Puerto Solento - its was meant to be applied across all their sites but I discovered it was not.

Who ends up paying this daft fee? - the boat owner of course.

After a pontoon friend was asked to pay for assisting a fellow pontoon friend to anti foul his baot the balloon went up and charge dropped.

I understand it was levied to 'protect' the on site biz who maintain shore facilities
 
EddieBlue said:
I personally don't think that there is any thing wrong in this. I know the rules when I put my boat there, so can't really bleat after the event.

I know of resturants that get really pissy if I take my own food and wine! ripp off or what tut!

Eddie

ps The contractors that leave their mess behind, dump stuff in the skips on site without any regard for the marinas legal responsibility for correct waste disposal, park their vans in customers spaces, leave mess all over the floor and wash their brushes out in the shower room hand basins, are rude and abusive to the other boat owners (equally paying thousands of pounds for the ability to leave their boats safely) who happen to complain about the mess and noise....Probably can't see what all the fuss is a about!
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Do you not think it works both ways? if a contractor is being charged then he may feel he has the right to use their skip or their oil dump. There was a time all marinas charged this, as someone says some marinas dont allow others on site, I was at Lymington with someone who broke down and we had to use a contractor approaved by the marina who was not the right dealer for the engine, had that been a new boat they would be stuck.

It goes back to the point they can so they do, Premier Brighton, on site they offer a good selection of workman that do most jobs, these workmen pay Premier rent to be there and if you use them you dont pay a fee, its to try to make people use them. My marina does not offer anything so we have to bring someone in.

This as far as I know is the only industry that does that as I said above. To go into a restaurant with your own food is not something you have to do, you have to have your boat worked on and you pay but what for? what do you get for it? in most towns there are small industrial units with 20 or so businesses, what would they do if the owner said everytime the window cleaner comes your gonna pay me a tenner, like we do we either move but marinas all stick together and all do it.


I have got friendly with the guy who does my electrics and he came down for coffee once, marina saw his van and sent me a bill.
 
EddieBlue said:
I personally don't think that there is any thing wrong in this. I know the rules when I put my boat there, so can't really bleat after the event.

I know of resturants that get really pissy if I take my own food and wine! ripp off or what tut!

Eddie

ps The contractors that leave their mess behind, dump stuff in the skips on site without any regard for the marinas legal responsibility for correct waste disposal, park their vans in customers spaces, leave mess all over the floor and wash their brushes out in the shower room hand basins, are rude and abusive to the other boat owners (equally paying thousands of pounds for the ability to leave their boats safely) who happen to complain about the mess and noise....Probably can't see what all the fuss is a about!
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I think the OP saw the purpose in needing to be registered with the marina. After all, I dont want to find my boat has gone up in flames bcz some idiot was working on the next door boat, so I want the marina to ensure only competent people are allowed on site.
His complaint was the £6 charge, which is perhaps more like corkage icharge n a restaurant, to use your anaolgy ?
Actually where I am, builders turn up and fill the skips with their rubbish. Nothing to do with boats at all.
 
fully agree GJGM, but if a contractor turns up on Monday fills in a form gives his insurance and works on boat A fair play, he pays £10 or what ever. then goes back next day to work on boat B why does he have to do it all over again? a clip board in the office with his details on, he signs in his exp date is on the form and when he goes he signs out. no work for marina they know who is on site and where he is working.
 
SolentPhill said:
fully agree GJGM, but if a contractor turns up on Monday fills in a form gives his insurance and works on boat A fair play, he pays £10 or what ever. then goes back next day to work on boat B why does he have to do it all over again? a clip board in the office with his details on, he signs in his exp date is on the form and when he goes he signs out. no work for marina they know who is on site and where he is working.
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Well, seems many places dont do it, even though they have such a provision. I cant think its worth the paperwork for £6 !!
Keep quiet- they may make it £25 ;)
 
aquapower said:
I work at Shotley quite a bit and allways let the office know first and have never yet been charged and bill customer direct.
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Perhaps they don't bother to collect it then. Looking at the T&C's, there are a few reasons why they wouldn't.

I do know someone who had an engine serviced there recently, the engineer told him he'd have to bill Shotley and Shotley would bill him, adding on a %. He queried this with Shotley, as the engineer was only down the river at Wolverstone (he would have taken the boat to him i guess), he was told that the engineer could bill him directly.

I've found the marina to be very fair and reasonable, so it may even be that they choose not to bother.
 
mjf said:
Premier did this a while ago at Puerto Solento - its was meant to be applied across all their sites but I discovered it was not.
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I used to have to purchase a contractors permit at port solent but not at any other of premiers marinas, am at Brighton next week so will find out if this has changed.
 
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